“I f**ked a lot of people off”: The Movie That Forced Tom Hardy into Such a Barbaric Diet He Started Lashing Out at People

Tom Hardy — the actor without a single flawed performance in his career (with the humble exception of Capone) — brings something new to the table every time he steps into a frame. Be it film or television, the individuality of Tom Hardy is captivating, inevitable, and wholly exceptional.

The physicality that the actor brings to his roles coupled with his trademark voice modulations make him an undefeated champion of modern cinema. Hardy’s legacy will live on in every character he brought alive on the screen, unlike that of actors who will always be remembered by one franchise or one role.

Tom Hardy’s Path Success Began With Warrior

The 2008 film, Bronson, stapled Tom Hardy as a name to look out for in Hollywood. But before the Nicolas Winding Refn classic made him one of the best and most fearsome talents in the industry, Hardy’s name carried little weight in itself when auditioning for movies like the sports/action film, Warrior.

However, it was not his awkwardly unconvincing audition that delivered an underhanded blow to his will. The real hurdle came after Hardy secured the role of MMA fighter Tommy Riordan Conlon in the Gavin O’Connor-directed sports action drama.

As he recalled in a September 2011 interview with The Guardian:

I did two hours boxing a day, two hours muay thai, two hours ju jitsu followed by two hours choreography and two hours of weightlifting seven days a week for three months. So come on! You have to really want to do that, so it was a challenge.

Later, he admitted to Total Film that the severe training coupled with the restrictive dietary regimen, which mostly comprised of boiled chicken and broccoli, made him “foul-tempered, belligerent, and unreasonable.”

99 per cent of the job is imagining other people’s insecurities, and that went right out the f**king window! I felt on edge all the time because I’m very sensitive and I hate pissing people off – but I f**ked a lot of people off on Warrior.

For an actor famous for physically transforming himself into whatever character he is required to play, there was a line even he wasn’t mentally equipped to cross. But Warrior pushed him right to the brink of sanity during the 3-month-long prep for his role as the ex-Marine-turned-MMA fighter.

Tom Hardy: A Living Legend of Modern Hollywood

In the case of method actors, one would be remiss if there were not a few crazy stories flying around about the star’s unusual antics while in character. Be it Jim Carrey or Jared Leto, there is nothing that validates the fans’ insatiable curiosity about celebrity culture more than listening to the drama that unfolds behind the scenes.

In the case of Tom Hardy, the audience lives and breathes to see him don the identity of a character and grace the screens featuring yet another acting masterclass. Hardy is one to be treasured more for his art than his personal life and art is exactly what he creates every single time he takes on a new role.

Be it Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, Alfie in Peaky Blinders, Max in Fury Road, or Eddie Brock in Venom, Tom Hardy breathes life into each character in a manner beyond our comprehension. His roles in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Band of Brothers, Dunkirk, Bronson, Taboo, and The Revenant are each equally imprinted with Hardy’s ferocity that makes him a living legend in Hollywood.

Warrior (2011) is available to stream on Peacock.